Jiuxiang

Standing on the hall, you will find that the top of the entire hall is composed of a seamless and complete block, which is not supported by a single stone pillar, but perfectly shelters the Lion Hall for millions of years. Careful observation of the cave ceiling reveals several honeycomb shaped caves that have a natural sound filtering effect, forming a natural underground music hall. In 1998 and 1999, the first large-scale cave symphony concert in China, "Dream of Nine Villages," was held here

In the underground river system of Jiuxiang, there lives a rare fish species in the world, the blind fish golden line Spanish mackerel, which is the largest recorded species of blind fish in China. Due to living in caves and dark rivers for a long time without light, the eyes have degenerated, leaving only two eye sockets, also known as the "fish with eyes but no eyeballs"

In the Lion Hall, there is also a cave museum in Jiuxiang, which displays ancient human relics unearthed from Jiuxiang's mouth opening cave more than 100000 years ago. Among them, the multi pit stone tools are the first of their kind in China. The Nine Villages Stone Exhibition collects rare natural stones and mineral crystal stones. Among them, the two natural text stones "Jiu and Xiang" and "October 1, 1989" are naturally formed, recording the historical nodes of the completion and opening of the Diehong Bridge Scenic Area. Everyone can take a closer look here, and if interested, you can also purchase one or two items to collect

Goddess Palace

When you come to Jiuxiang, the most unmissable thing is the various naturally formed caves here. At the highest altitude of about 1777 meters in the scenic area, there is a typical representative of underground karst scenery - Goddess Palace

In the palace of the goddess, various clusters of stalactites stand tall, with different shapes. Under the colorful lights, they are even more magnificent, like a fairyland on earth. The ones that grow from top to bottom are called stalactites, the ones that accumulate water droplets at the bottom of the cave and slowly grow upwards are called stalagmites, and the ones that are thick in shape are called stone towers. The stalactites and stalagmites are eventually connected to form stone pillars. Under normal circumstances, it takes about 100 years for stalagmites to grow one centimeter tall, so we can also imagine how many years of sedimentation this wonder has undergone

Although these stalactites have various shapes, they all have one thing in common, which is that they are related to the "immortal family", and the stones here also form many interesting mythological stories between them. Therefore, the Goddess Palace is also known as the "Immortal Cave". At the entrance of the Goddess Palace, there stands a tall stone tree, which is said to have been brought by Fairy Chang'e from the Moon Palace. On the cave walls on both sides of the stone tree, beautiful stone flowers climb up and connect with the dense canopy, blending together to form the beautiful scenery of "Yushu Qionghua"

Not only is Chang'e the fairy, but it is said that the Queen Mother of the West also loves the beautiful scenery of this cave. She once held a birthday party here, inviting immortals to come and celebrate her birthday. Therefore, we can see immortal beings such as Guanyin Bodhisattva, Tuota Heavenly King, Taibai Venus, and Tang Monk and his disciples here. At the gathering, there are delicious dishes such as peaches, ham, and Yiliang roast duck

In addition, there is a naturally formed stone bridge called Magpie Bridge inside the cave, with two stones resembling the Cowherd and Weaver Girl at both ends of the bridge. It is said that as long as one sincerely crosses the Magpie Bridge, unmarried friends will have lovers who will eventually marry, while married friends will have a happy and fulfilling family

This natural landscape is divided into three parts: image and seven parts: imagination. You can unleash your imagination and explore more magical scenery here during the tour

Male and Female Double Waterfalls

After leaving the Goddess Palace, we continued walking about 500 meters and arrived at another cave in the Diehongqiao Scenic Area - Wolong Cave. The Maitian River winds and spirals in the cave, resembling a long dragon crossing here, hence the name of this cave. Wolong Cave is located deep underground and will continue to descend stairs during sightseeing, so everyone should pay extra attention and be careful of slippery roads

In Wolong Cave, there are two stunning views, one is the Double Flying Waterfall inside the cave - Male and Female Double Waterfalls, and the other is the large edge stone lake group - Shentian. Not long after passing through the Panhong Bridge, we arrived at the Double Waterfall, known as the "Soul of Nine Villages". When we were at the entrance of the cave, we could already faintly hear its roaring water. As we approached, the roar grew louder and louder, and we realized that these two waterfalls were one tall and one short, one big and one small, resembling a couple leaning together. The male and female twin waterfalls were named after this

The male and female twin waterfalls are the soul of Jiuxiang, showcasing the magnificent mountains and waters of Jiuxiang. Standing on the observation deck directly opposite, you can appreciate the crystal clear water droplets pouring down, like countless pearls falling into the sky. The water of the wheat field rushes through the underground cave, and when the river rushes into the Wolong Cave, it is split in half by towering boulders in the river channel, and flows into the bottom of the valley, forming these two huge underground river waterfalls

The male and female waterfalls have a drop of about 30 meters and a depth of more than 10 meters. Like all waterfalls, its best viewing time is during the abundant water period in summer and autumn. At that time, its maximum water flow rate could reach 320 square meters per second, like a galloping horse, with a majestic momentum

The male and female waterfall is also a scenic spot for the movie "Myth", and as one of the representative landscapes of Jiuxiang, it has become a popular photo spot among tourists

Shentian

There is a geological wonder called "Shentian" located over a hundred meters beneath the land of Jiuxiang. This "field" shape is very similar to the terraced fields we commonly see, but it looks more like it was created by gods with boundless divine power, hence the name

Shentian, geological name Bianshiba, is known as the Bianshihu Group by cave experts at home and abroad in Jiuxiang due to its huge scale and large number

According to expert research, among the more than 2000 developed karst cave scenic spots around the world, Shentian in Jiuxiang is the largest and largest group of edge stone lakes in the cave, with the largest one covering an area of nearly 100 square meters and a water depth of 3-4 meters. How did this rare natural landscape in the world come into being? In fact, this is because the slow flowing water from the cave wall encounters a gentle slope, and when it flows down slowly from the top of the slope, it encounters obstacles. The minerals contained in the water slowly accumulate and solidify, gradually forming the edge of Kanda

The most important condition for the formation of Kanda is the gentle slope terrain, so we cannot see the Kanda landscape on the main river channel. On the main river channel, due to excessive water volume, the dissolved carbonates in the water are diluted, making it difficult to deposit and crystallize; And due to the fast flow rate, the crystals were already carried away by the flowing water before they could deposit. In the center of Kanda, there is a sudden mountain called Duxiu Peak. It has been verified that it was actually formed by falling rocks from the cave roof, which were wrapped in calcium carbonate crystals in the dripping water from the cave roof. Duxiu Peak has a steep and gentle shape, making people never tire of it

The magical landscape of canyons, waterfalls, and sacred fields intersecting in the Diehongqiao Scenic Area is the main difference between Jiuxiang Cave and other caves

Yi Family Village

In addition to the cave landscape and natural scenery, it is worth mentioning the rich ethnic customs of Jiuxiang. Not only can you listen to folk songs and observe customs outside the cave, but you can also experience Yi ethnic customs in the underground hall of Yi Family Village

Yijiazhai is the second hall in the Diehongqiao Scenic Area, second only to the Lion Hall, with an area of about 5000 square meters, equivalent to the size of half a standard football field. Because there are several natural landscapes here that resemble the style of Yi villages, and the ethnic song and dance performances here reproduce the folk customs of the Yi people, it is named Yi Village

After viewing the Shentian, you will pass through a narrow stone gate, which is the safety gate of the Yi people. Because it is narrow, you need to turn sideways to pass through, so it is also called the side gate. After passing the side gates, you will arrive at the Yi village

Jiuxiang is located in the mountainous area, and the vast mountains and forests provide a natural place for Yi young men and women to meet. When the young man's flute sounds, the girl who hears it will come in response. If she meets the girl's wishes, she will let the young man see her. Sometimes, girls also sing beautiful love songs, and young men who hear the singing will sing along with the song. This is the origin of Yi youth's duet. In a Q&A love song duet, we express our mutual admiration and achieve a happy marriage

In the Yi Family Village, there is a forest with lush branches and leaves. The middle tree has a thick trunk and numerous branches and leaves, like a dense forest. This dense forest is the sacred mountain of the Yi people - Mizhi Forest. The ancestors of the Yi ethnic group believed in the existence of spirits in all things and worshipped trees as gods. Therefore, near the villages where they lived, they would plant a dense forest of green all year round. On weekdays, livestock and women are absolutely not allowed to enter, only the annual dense branch festival allows men to enter the forest once

After enjoying the beautiful scenery of the Yi ethnic village, everyone can also chat with the enthusiastic and simple Yi people, and listen to the ancient and magical folk legends and mythological stories

Underground Fallen Stone Forest

After visiting the magnificent male and female waterfalls of Wolong Cave, the divine fields of heaven and earth wonders, and the Yi ethnic village with rich ethnic customs, we arrived at the last cave of our trip to Diehong Bridge - Bat Cave

Batcave is named after the tens of thousands of bats that inhabited the cave before its development. Later, due to lighting and tourist viewing, most of the bats had already flown to other nearby caves

The unique landscape inside the Bat Cave is called "Wind Blows Stone Bend". Due to the strong airflow, the dripping water of the stalactites on the cave roof gradually moves and condenses, forming a slanting shape over time. Due to its large scale, the inverted stone forest landscape is formed, resembling a stone forest hanging upside down from the top of a cave. This has become a must visit scenic spot for visiting the Diehongqiao Scenic Area. As the saying goes, 'You can see the Stone Forest on the ground and visit Jiuxiang underground.' Both Stone Forest and Jiuxiang are famous for their typical karst landforms. They are both located in Kunming, with one on the ground and the other underground, complementing each other beautifully

In addition to the collapsed stone forest landscape, there is also a time tunnel about 60 meters long inside the Bat Cave, which is an artificial tunnel connecting the underground cave and the world outside the cave. The colorful stalactites on both sides are also very beautiful

# Walking in the tunnel, we will feel the cool breeze, as if we have traveled back to the wonderful and beautiful ancient times. This is because when the seasons are different and the weather changes, the air pressure inside and outside the cave also changes accordingly. When the air pressure inside the cave is high, the wind blows outward, and when the air pressure outside the cave is high, the wind blows inward

Finally, it should be noted that the entire process of visiting the Batcave is quite arduous, requiring climbing more than 300 steps. If tourists feel exhausted, they can choose to take a slide@After exiting the Batcave, you can take the cableway back to the vicinity of the entrance of the scenic area

Tourist Cableway

Tourist Cableway was built in September 1994, with a total length of 476 meters, a vertical height difference of 44 meters between the upper and lower platforms, a maximum height difference of 66 meters, and a running speed of 1-1.5 meters per second. The entire journey can be completed in 8 minutes. By taking the tourist cableway, everyone can look down from a high place and leisurely